You’ve probably seen the posters by now—the eerie, mist-covered woods, Toni Collette looking absolutely terrifying, and a lead actor whose face feels familiar but maybe you can't quite place. Since the show dropped on Netflix in late 2025, the internet has been buzzing with one specific question: who is the actor in Wayward?
The person at the center of this psychological whirlwind is Mae Martin.
If you’re a fan of British comedy or queer cinema, you might already know them from the cult-favorite series Feel Good. But Wayward is a totally different beast. It’s dark. It’s sweaty. It’s set in 2003, a time of low-rise jeans and very little public understanding of what it means to be trans or non-binary. Martin isn't just the lead; they actually created the whole show, pulling from some pretty heavy personal history to make it happen.
Meet Mae Martin: The Force Behind Alex Dempsey
Mae Martin is a Canadian comedian and writer who has spent years perfecting a very specific brand of "charming but deeply anxious" humor. In Wayward, they play Alex Dempsey, a trans man and police officer who moves to the tiny, unsettling town of Tall Pines with his pregnant wife, Laura (played by Sarah Gadon).
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Here is the thing that makes this role so interesting: Mae Martin themselves is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns in real life. However, they chose to write the character of Alex as a trans man.
Why the distinction? Basically, Martin felt that in 2003—the year the show takes place—the language for being non-binary just wasn't there yet. They’ve said in interviews that playing a man in this specific historical context "just made sense." It allows the show to explore Alex’s desperate need to fit into a "nuclear family" and a hyper-masculine job like police work without having to explain modern gender theory to a town full of people living in the early 2000s.
Is the Actor in Wayward Actually Trans?
Yes. Mae Martin has been very open about their own journey. They came out as non-binary in 2021 and have since shared details about their top surgery and their experience with hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
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In Wayward, Alex is depicted as being relatively early in his transition. There are scenes where he deals with his "T shots" (testosterone injections) and moments where his lack of facial hair is mentioned. It’s a level of mundane, everyday trans representation that we honestly don't see very often in big-budget thrillers. Usually, if a character is trans, that’s the only thing the plot is about. In Wayward, Alex has way bigger problems—like the fact that his wife’s former "school" for troubled teens is basically a cult run by a woman who may or may not be pure evil.
Why the 2003 Setting Matters
Setting the show in 2003 wasn't just a fashion choice. Martin was 16 that year. They’ve spoken about the "lack of fluency" around mental health and identity back then. By placing a trans lead in that era, the show highlights a weird paradox: the town of Tall Pines seems incredibly progressive and "accepting" on the surface, but that acceptance is actually part of a much darker, controlling system.
The Controversy: Violence and Representation
No show is without its critics, and Wayward has sparked some intense debates in the trans community. Some viewers on platforms like Reddit have pointed out that Alex is a "violent cliché." He’s a cop with a temper, and at one point, Toni Collette’s character, Evelyn, even taunts him by saying he’s just trying to be a "real man" by hurting people.
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There’s a long-standing, pretty harmful myth that testosterone makes trans men aggressive. Because Martin is non-binary and playing a trans man, some critics felt the portrayal leaned too hard into those tropes. However, Martin has defended the choice, stating that they wanted Alex to be a flawed, "juicy" character. He isn't a saint. He's a guy who is deeply insecure and trying to find authority in a world that often denies it to him.
What You Should Know About the Rest of the Cast
While Martin is the soul of the show, the ensemble around them is powerhouse material.
- Toni Collette: She plays Evelyn Wade, the director of Tall Pines Academy. She’s basically a matriarchal cult leader who thinks she can "fix" kids through isolation and control.
- Sarah Gadon: As Alex’s wife Laura, she represents the lingering trauma of being a "graduate" of Evelyn’s program.
- Patrick J. Adams: The Suits star pops up as a local doctor who knows more than he’s letting on.
How to Follow Mae Martin’s Work
If you’ve finished the eight episodes and need more, you’re in luck. Martin’s career is exploding right now.
- Feel Good (Netflix): This is a two-season semi-autobiographical dramedy. It’s much funnier than Wayward but deals with similar themes of addiction and identity.
- SAP (Netflix): Their 2023 stand-up special where they talk about gender, top surgery, and "the sexual position they were conceived in" (yes, really).
- I’m A TV (Album): Martin recently released an indie-rock album. They actually wrote and performed almost all the instruments.
What to do next: If you're fascinated by the themes in the show, research the real-world "troubled teen industry" that inspired Martin. Many of the tactics used by the fictional Tall Pines Academy—like "hot seat" sessions and sleep deprivation—are based on actual methods used in unregulated reform schools during the late 90s and early 2000s. Understanding that context makes Mae Martin's performance as Alex feel even more grounded in a terrifying reality.